These are cool. In support of the wide variety of people who have made an impact on their communities not in formal office, these were made. There are a number of different people there, representing different points of view, and I think (I'm not sure) that she's still taking a few requests. I realized after I looked at them that Eleanor Roosevelt isn't there, but I'd already asked for one (the icon above), so I didn't ask for another.

Icons

(And if you're wondering, that's Dennis Banks, who was one of the fathers/mothers of Red Power, and sort of the brains and voice. He's now a college professor, like me. *grin*)

So we finally survived the week again and it's now the weekend. We're having movie night at my place and a dinner. I hate that I can't be a better person and like all of my co-workers, but when it comes to blatant neediness with poor social skills, or the fact that the conversation tend to be self-aggrandizing...I have no actual patience and I want you to get the hell away as fast as you can. Or I will hurt you. One of my co-workers has poor social skills...in any language and doesn't get the point when asked to NOT do things. Not to mention the creepiness factor that overlays every conversation he has with practically every single female co-worker in the place.

*shudders* The other guy reminds me of the barfly in every Irish pub. He also won't shut up about sports and makes everything be some kind of revelation. Like we all really give a fuck whether Yorkton, Saskatchewan maintains and AHL team and whether Da Vinci means "From the town of Vinci"...aargh. I think I'm also testy because I was so tired today. I kind of also physically feel ill and I can't understand why the hell that was the case.

But I did have two good end days. Thursday, despite being my heavy day, went smoothly. I was running like a chicken with my head cut-off, but it was worth it in the end. Although I'm still kind of snickering and shaking my head at the fact that the kids asked me whether there are Chinese people in NYC...they're worldview is so small that I have to appreciate these kinds of questions. But it still electrifies me when they ask me where "The Gays" live. Cause it usually makes me picture the entire gay communities in the same sense as "The Smiths" Or "The Nguyens" ya know?

Anyways...I have the weekend to veg and to do random things. So I'm kind of okay with the world at the moment. I even managed to get some poetry done. Three, but considering that I've been sort of emotionally tuned out from that aspect of myself...

Oh, Yeah, I got more stuff from Amazon. Including the idiotic books of Stephenie Meyer. But I'm donating them to the library, so it's all good. I also bought my DC shoes. Even though that idiot has a pair, I didn't buy it cause of him. I just liked the design of the shoes.

So that's my week in a nutshell, really. Nothing too earth-shattering, but it was sure hella entertaining all the same.

I want to preface what I'm about to say with two statements:

1) This arises from some scattered comments on websites, LJ, and elsewhere that accused Sarah Palin of hypocrisy for running for Vip because she's a member of the Assemblies of God and an evangelical conservative ... and they don't believe women should be pastors or be "placed over/in charge of" men. That's wrong/confused, and I'm attempting to correct it.

2) I am not a Republican, an Evangelical Christian, a member of the Assemblies of God, or, most of all, terribly fond of Sarah Palin. She really, really torqued me off last night with her quip about community organizers (as someone who's worked with them). They are so grass-roots it's hard to get more "down there," and if bad-mouthing them isn't elitist, I don't know what is. So the jarring juxtaposition of calling Obama an elistist and then dismissing him for his work as a community organizer irks me no end. No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, every single one of these candidates has a weakness or three. Highlighting those genuine weaknesses if perfectly valid, and we'll all end up voting based on how we rank the relative importance of those weaknesses versus a candidate's strengths. My list isn't your list. But talking out of two sides of one's mouth isn't pretty.

So yeah, not defending Palin. But as a History of Christianity scholar, I feel compelled to correct a fallacy being used as an argument against her, and which only makes the one arguing look uninformed. Let's not play the same "Never mind the facts" game, shall we?

( Cut for those who don't care )

As usual, I am busy and buried. But every day, it seems, I get a little closer to having this millstone hanging around my neck OFF, and the project done. It's not been as terrible as it could have been, by any means, and despite my whining. I'm just tired and ready to have it handed over.

BUT, and the real reason for this post ... I don't often make requests of this sort, but will in this case. It has nothing to do with me. One of my colleagues at another institution was diagnosed with an unusually aggressive form of breast cancer last winter. She went through the chemo last spring, thought is was gone ...

It's metastasized to her liver, lungs and bones by this fall. I don't think I need to tell most of you what that means. This would be a terrible thing regardless. She's a bright, talented scholar working in a very interesting and under-explored area of her field, and has received two fellowshipts/grants for it, one of them a Mellon. But she's also barely 35 and has a 3-year-old, and she's my friend.

If you pray, pray for her and her family. If you don't pray, but do the "good vibes" thing, send those her way.

(Turning off comments because this isn't about me; it's about her.)

Title: Y is for Yesterday
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley
Prompt: Spring
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Susan knew him better than most, but deserved someone who knew her best.
Author’s Notes: Part twenty-five of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.

( Read more... )

Title: Z is for Zed
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and Daphne Greengrass
Prompt: Birth
Word Count: 200
Rating: PG
Summary: He never wanted to be a father.
Author’s Notes: Part twenty-six of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles. Set post-Hogwarts.

( Read more... )

It wasn't a horrible day, persay, to tell the truth. There has just been some sort of lingering weirdness in the air lately. And I don't liek feeling even more awkward than ever when it comes to dealing with my boss. I also hate to admit that I am amused at the prospect of having about twelve regular comers to my classes. There was a high absenteeism rate in my afternoon class that I'm kind of surprised about, to tell the truth. On Wednesday's, that's almost unheard of. Thursday and a nice day, totally plausible.

See, nice days equal party time to the kids. I don't necessarily like it, but we have to deal with it. It's just another dimension of weirdness that I deal with. Like random hearing of things. One kid thought that I was telling them we were going to dissect a "Cheap Bible" i swear I am not making it up. I have to wonder how the hell you get "Cheap Bible" out of "Sheep eyeball". I have to leave at it poor pronouciation and not listening to me at all.

Yeah. So I finally called the schoolboard to get my attestation of employment so I can send off my papers to Bishop's and get accredited here in Quebec. I think that this year might be my ticket to the southern schools, since I am teaching Science and they are the ones that are difficult to get in other places. So it's a start to thinking about the future elsewhere, kind of thing.  Yeah...I think I have ambitions...small ones, but it's a start.

I am unsure what to do tonight. I just want to veg and nom on chicken sandwiches, maybe go out for a bike ride. Not done it for a long time, so it's a high time I did it, cause the snow will come soon. Despite the heat that we are having at this time, yeah.

Been thinking about being with someone versus being alone lately and I think that I've just come to the conclusion that I'm for sure having a kid, but I'm raising it by myself. I've tangled with too many immature assholes and I don't want that anymore. Yeah, it sucks and it scares me, being alone like that. But it seems like I'm happier working and being alone than being tangled up with some wanker. So that's my conclusion. That won't change unless someone really awesome that has his shit together and that looks like Christian Bale comes into my life. Not gonna happen, so yeah.

I gotta run now.

Apparently I am not as independent as I once thought. I've spent the past four nights at my parents' house. But I really think I had to. I got really sick Friday night, like I couldn't stop throwing up all night. I tried to just sleep it off, but when my mom offered to come pick me up Saturday afternoon, I couldn't say no. And I am glad I did, because I would probably still feel like death if I had stayed by myself. I mean, I could hardly stand.

So that's why I was less active than usual this weekend. It wasn't because of any exciting real life, Labor Day activities. :P Just too sick and/or tired. I haven't really been online since Friday afternoon. I was a bit on Saturday morning, but I don't remember too much. There's really no way I could really go over my entire f-list and catch up on everything, so if there is anything really important/exciting/funny/sexy/etc. that I missed, if you could give me links that'd be awesome! :)

I don't know when I will be back online permanently. My laptop's at the apartment, and I don't know if I am going back tonight. I still have some stomach cramps, and don't feel ready to graduate my from my diet of saltines, white rice and gatorade. So I don't know if I will really be able to walk up three flights of stairs just yet, still a little weak. I'm just online because I wanted to come to work for a couple of hours so I won't have to stress about bills right at the end. But I don't need to decide until tonight anyway. If I go back, I'll need help carrying the blankets, pillow and stuff I brought with me.

Did anyone else watch the 90210 premier last night? I only watched it because I grew up with the original (yay '90s fashion and broody Luke Perry FTW!), and morbid curiosity. But I kinda liked it. I kinda reeeeaally liked it. I like watching pretty people, so sue me. :P And I want to know who the father of Kelly's baby is!!!!!!! But I bet I've jinxed it now. D'oh!

Title: Betrayal
Rating: R
Pairing/Character(s): Ken Kennedy/OC, Randy Orton/OC
Summary: Randy and Katie were the best of friends, still they took a story line to the next level.
Warnings: cursing, hints of sex later on
Length: Medium
Word Count: 1,304
Chapter #: (8/?)
WIP or Complete: Work In Progress
Author's Note: If this seems familiar to you it should. This is a rewrite of my Kurt Angle story of the same title. I've changed it around a bit but just added Ken Kennedy as the lead guy instead of Kurt. An improvement I think :)
Authors Note II: Nothing like dusting off all of the old wrestling stories now that I'm more into it since my British shows are all over. But here is the next chapter for my Ken Kennedy story, something to read while he is recovering!


( Katie tries to make a decision and stick with it. )

So the net was down for like three days or something. So I haven't updated since then. So my life has been kind of a bit of emo and involved a lot of partying. I've been more or less involved in watching things randomly develop around me as I work to get lesson plans together, the internet at my house and shopping.

Oh, We have stopped the feud with my family and I be going home for christmas this time around. So yeah. I'm back in Edmonton for the winter. Well, not that long of a time, but long enough to see everyone and stuff. I think I can live with that, but I will have to put my plans to look for hot Norwegian guys. Yeah, I watch sports events to check out hot guys. Nyah.

Anyways...nothing new really. Just working and socializing and doing the same old thing. It's a good life. No drama.